Matteo Pretelli (Writer, Professor, Historian)
As you all know, in our interviews we try to stay as far as we can from politics. It is a very sensitive topic, and We the Italians is completely impartial and unbiased, on both sides of the ocean. This is fundamental to understand the approach we are using regarding the topic of this interview, as to say the relation between Mussolini and the Unit...
Lee Casazza (author of the book "Big Mamma's Italian-American Cookbook")
In our journey between Italy in the US it's time we address one fundamental topic regarding the relationship that links our two countries: the Italian American cuisine. It is a delicate, important topic, and so we decided to interview somebody who has written a book about it. Lee Casazza is the author of "Big Mamma's Italian-American Cookbook",...
Gerald R. Gems (Writer)
Sport is a very important topic in our trip around the US looking for how, when and where Italians have left positive contributions to the growth of the American society. Sport champions are often true heroes, especially in the US: and some of those heroes have been Italian Americans, inspiring a strong and justified sense of pride in those fellow...
Gloria Marina Bellelli (Italian Consul General in Miami)
The South East of the United States is an interesting area, where the state of Florida – the biggest and the most advanced in terms of economy and trade – is surely one of the most representative. Among its cities, Miami is undoubtedly the main one, because of a prosperous rate of tourism, finance, art, and, more generally, culture. In this pictur...
Mary Tedesco (Genealogist)
Genealogy undoubtedly is an important part of how a big number of Italian Americans relate to their Italian roots. As time goes by, the distance between today and the mass migration era between XIX and XX century grows bigger and bigger. This means that grandparents and parents are leaving this earth, the memories of those who are still with us bec...
Anita Bevacqua McBride (NIAF Chair of the Education and Scholarship Committee)
This week our interview tells a story of beauty. Four different beautiful things, actually. The first beauty is the donation of 500,000 $ by the late Italian American Ernest L. Pellegri, one of NIAF's donors. Mr. Pellegri passed away in April 2012 at age 83. He wanted to give back, and – as many other Italian Americans did and do – chose NIAF to be...
Jennifer Baross and Jack P. Johnson (Documentary Producer and Director)
The beautification of the United States owe a lot to Italian immigrants who showed their talent and genius all over the United States: Costantino Brumidi, Piccirilli Brothers, Livio Del Bianco are known by most of the Italian Americans, even if not everyone. One that deserves to be rediscovered and awarded for his huge talent is Corrado Parducci,...
Adam Kaplan (Vice President Sister Cities International)
In our discovery of new points of view from which to analyze the relationship between Italy and the US, today we want to talk about Sister Cities programs. There is an American institution, called "Sister Cities International", which takes care of these aspect of how the US partner up with other countries. So we are happy today to have as our gues...
Joseph Mattone (President - Feast of San Gennaro)
La religione cattolica è storicamente e culturalmente alla base del senso di omogeneità che pervade la comunità italoamericana. Quando i nostri connazionali attraversarono – spesso tragicamente - l'oceano per un futuro incerto ed estremamente duro, presto trovarono nella celebrazione della loro fede e dei santi patroni delle comunità dalle quali pr...
Gianfranco Norelli and Suma Kurien (Film Directors)
A few years ago a wonderful documentary, "Bitter bread" (Pane Amaro) described the story of the Italian emigration to the east coast. It was a milestone in this field, and now the two authors and producers, Gianfranco Norelli and Suma Kurien, are back with another marvelous documentary, this time about the Italian emigration to the west coast: "Fin...
Claudio Bisogniero (Italian Ambassador to the United States)
The Italian language is undeniably a fundamental part of the representation of our country in the entire world: it is an instrument of culture, pride, historical evidence, and even marketing. It is a rich and prestigious language, even if it is not among the most spoken in the world. In the United States, Italian is often synonymous with qualit...
Paolo Messa (Director of the Center for American Studies in Rome)
The Center for American Studies, Italy, is the locus that celebrates the relations between Italy and United States. The Center is headquartered in Rome, in the main floor of Palazzo Antici Mattei. The palace is one of the most prestigious buildings of 17th century Rome and it was realized between 1598 and 1618 by Carlo Maderno. Today, a young and...